NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Oct 14, 2010 -> 08:11 AM) We had made an offer on an REO property a few weeks ago, but they accepted a competing offer. Feels like we dodged a bullet with that one. Funny you say that... we just made an offer on a house on Friday, that had only hit the market the day before, which is REO-owned (post-foreclosure). But we're first in line, they gave us a counter with the same price but an earlier closing date, we accepted and signed, now just waiting for confirmation. There are apparently 3 other offers waiting behind ours, made within the first few days on the market, for the same house. Wouldn't have expected that in this market, but it makes me feel better about the choice we made for this one. Should hear today if we really got it or not, but the realtor says it should be good to go.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 14, 2010 -> 07:34 AM) I think there's a real chance the AA pitching staff this year could make it look a whole lot better. Probably. If my projections are right, looks like a pitching staff for B-Ham of something like... SP: Shirek SP: Axelrod SP: Doyle SP: Griffith SP: Sauer ***(I assume Leesman will be in AAA) RP: Jones RP: Bellamy RP: Corley RP: S. Rodriguez RP: Remenowsky RP: Santiago Yeah, I'd say that will probably be a solid staff.

People in the business of tracking the real estate market seem to agree with me, that legal challenges to foreclosures will not often make it to a judgment, and have only a minimal effect. The problem is still the artificial bump and fall that this foreclosure stoppage will stick into the market.

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Oct 13, 2010 -> 06:30 PM) I agree with your post except the bolded part. I think we are starting to see the fruits of better development. The problem is that we are not afforded the patience that other clubs might have because our pitching is built to WIN NOW. I think out of Morel, Beckham, Viciedo, Sale and Flowers we may have some really good players. I wish we could sit back and watch them develop without the constant pressure of lofty expectations. A side opinion of mine is that Tank needs to be playing in the big leagues for good, I just don't know where. I did say earlier, things are getting better in the minors, so I agree that things are improving. Last three drafts have been good. 2009's was wracked this season by injuries, but guys like Mitchell, Thompson and Phegley are still talented players. Still, the Sox system is not exactly stellar, even with the improvements.

QUOTE (Brian @ Oct 13, 2010 -> 08:54 PM) I'm not even sure what these Tea Party folks are. Are they Republicans? Are they Republicans trying to distance themselves from the Republican name? The stuff I hear from them sounds like an SNL skit. The question of who they are and how they started are hotly debated here. There's not much question that they have at least some Republican and Libertarian streaks in them, and its equally sure that they are not highly centralized and therefore not very centered on a specific agenda. There's also not much question that as time has gone on, they've attracted a lot fo people who seem to simply hate Obama and the Dems. The real debates seem to be about their origins, the co-opting that has appeared to take place, and what they really stand for.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Oct 13, 2010 -> 06:06 PM) Whatever you say cereal boy. Can you please stop it? Seriously, even if you think he's dead wrong, your 10 year old act is getting old.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Oct 13, 2010 -> 04:27 PM) Both Swisher trades. The Javy trade in which it looks like the only valuable piece we got back was a utility guy. The Brandon Allen for Tony Pena swap? Even Hawk would admit KW is in a massive slump right now. The Swisher trade to acquire him, I agree. The one to get rid of him, well, there wasn't a lot else that could be done. Allen for Pena, not so sure yet, let's see how Allen does. Javy trade we got Flowers, our probable catcher of the future, so I'm not nearly ready to see that as a loss just yet. He's made some bad moves, but a lot more good than bad. The problem with the front office of the Sox under KW, again, is the prospect development end. He's been far weaker there than with the major league moves.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 13, 2010 -> 02:37 PM) Isn't Castro a free agent as well? I thought he was under a team option, no? Maybe I am not remembering. Maybe we get Donny Lucy instead (who would be an improvement defensively, but probably a big drop offensively).

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 13, 2010 -> 02:34 PM) Exactly why this is a myth. That doesn't make it a myth - unless, again, we are talking about the idea that Cuba or China or anyone else drilling in US waters without permission, which won't happen. But the general point, that other countries will drill where they can, certainly stands.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 13, 2010 -> 01:53 PM) You think the US is going to project naval power into international waters to stop other countries from drilling? Or are we talking specifically about US waters here? This is a non-issue. If its US waters, no other country is stupid enough to try to drill without authority from the US. If its outside of territorial waters, the US has no case to intervene, and won't.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 13, 2010 -> 01:52 PM) Well then the question is...what else is it in the underwriting standards that could have resulted in the documents being sent back in that fashion other than having the document actually be fraudulent in some way? Underwriting is mostly about quality of lending and lendee (is that a word?). If Citi decides that the mortgage was made in bad faith, or the borrower (that's better) was not qualified to specificed standards, or the terms were not to standards, etc., those are all conditions of underwriting that would fail. And those are not something that the borrower would have any stake in for foreclosure problems, that's something the underwriter would have to deal with and pay for.

QUOTE (Thad Bosley @ Oct 13, 2010 -> 01:48 PM) And next year he would definitely be worth that as the option to rest the rookie Morel against certain tough right-handed pitchers, while losing nothing at 3rd base defensively. Add to that his ability to give both Alexei and Gordon the occasional break (and again, providing high-caliber defense in the process), and you have yourself the right man as your primary back-up infielder. Between Vizquel (3B, SS, 2B), Teahen (1B, DH, RF), Castro © and probably De Aza (OF generally, PR), it seems like the Sox already have a bench that works just fine. Not really an area of concern.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 13, 2010 -> 01:36 PM) If you read the data given in that Reuters link...that could well be the case for on the order of 40-50% of them. No, the article is saying 40-50% of them could be "sold" back to the underwriter. That means it failed to meet underwriting requirements, which certainly would include flawed foreclosures, but also an array of other things. The author is making a leap over the hole in his theory, without addressing what's there. I mean, yes, if indeed 40-50% of foreclosures were materially flawed in their execution in a way that directly effected the homeowner, or if the mortgage itself was flawed in a similarly material way, then yeah, that could be a HUGE problem. But that isn't the case here, at least in so far as this author's exploration goes.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 13, 2010 -> 01:09 PM) Well, the counterpoint is that every time a bank or an investor forecloses on someone when they don't have the correct paperwork, they're opening themselves up to a lawsuit. There seems like there's the potential for a class action suit here involving literally millions of people if they don't clean this up, and they haven't figured out how to clean it up despite being 2+ years into the crisis. Class action only works if it was done wrong in the same way, across "millions" of mortgages. And further, such a class action would only succeed if the problems in foreclosure were found to be material in any way. Further still, the amount of damages they could claim are only significant if it was found that the foreclosure action itself was improper, because any other finding would only results in small liability. So for all the bluster we are seeing over this, unless the foreclosures are all beyond messy and downright fraudulent or illegal, I don't see this becoming a huge impact.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 13, 2010 -> 01:11 PM) Why wouldn't some NL team on the outside and needing pitching outbid us for Garcia? He's a legit middle of the rotation starter for a lot of those NL teams, and you want him to be a 6th starter. They might. I should have thrown in this variable - if Peavy doesn't come back healthy, that throws a huge wrench in the whole thing.

QUOTE (sircaffey @ Oct 13, 2010 -> 01:04 PM) I don't know what offense you are looking at. The Sox put up middle of the pack AL numbers in one of MLB's best offensive parks. And that was with Pauly going Pujols-like. Now he may or may not be back. The 2010 version, at least, probably won't be. The Sox are in desperate need of some bats. And that was with a joke of a scheme at DH, with AJ producing near the bottom offensively, Vizquel starting much of the year, etc. You don't need a #1 offense if your pitching is very good. Unless you are the Yankees, you have to choose your investments wisely, you can't just throw money out there at every position. This being the case, I agree with the general philosophy of putting the top end money more in pitching than hitting. Konerko was the only guy on the entire offense who put up numbers that are well above their "norms", versus guys like AJ and TCQ having bad ones, Bekcham performing below where we all think he will, Vizquel in the lineup most of the time, and a huge hole at DH. If you want to look at trends for players and what direction they appear to be going, I see a lot more likely ups next year than downs. That all said, losing Konerko would be a big problem, I agree, and I also agree its probable he's not the 2010 PK again in 2011. But if you CAN bring him back, and upgrade 1B/DH or RF with a plus bat... and regardless of whether you have Flowers or AJ at catcher... I think this is likely to be an above average offense next year. Also remember, the defense in 2010 was improved, and I think may improve yet again in 2011 with Morel at 3B instead of Teahen to start the year, and probably someone other than TCQ in RF. You might lose some if PK leaves of course. Its yet again all about money. If the Sox can re-sign Konerko and upgrade either DH or RF, and fill some bullpen gaps, I like this team as a contender next year. If they can't do any of that, well, that could be ugly.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 13, 2010 -> 12:52 PM) I wish i could excerpt this whole thing. Read the rest and I'm interested in replies. Flushing out these problems is a good thing. I don't think the impact of it will be anything like, say, the toxic unwind, in terms of scale. So that's good. But it could still have an impact, though I think the impact will be uneven (big for some banks, none for others). This sort of thing is healthy in the long run, making the industry pay for its messes. Problem is this run we seem to be making at freezing all foreclosures, etc. Doing that for any significant length of time will be devastating, a far worse impact that any of the current problems going on with existing mortgages and their holders.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 13, 2010 -> 12:49 PM) I'd really like to think that the Sox wouldn't put a rookie in that spot...but the Sox have been so aggressive with bringing people up levels lately that it would fit their recent M.O. I personally like it. Danks or Floyd, especially if coupled with something else, could bring a very nice bat that the team needs. And with Sale looking ready, and Freddy as a backup option, I think the Sox would be smart to use this position of strength to shore up a weakness.

QUOTE (sircaffey @ Oct 13, 2010 -> 12:45 PM) It's not a problem having roughly 50-55% of payroll already tied up into a rotation on a team still needing a CL, C, 1B, DH, and an arm or two in the pen? Yes, SP is most influential, but that doesn't mean you should sign 5 Sabathia's and go with 9 Lillibridges and 6 Torres'. Balance is necessary, and the Sox have none. The Sox have problems, but balance between offense and pitching isn't one. The team actually hit decently well in 2010, though it would have been a lot better with a real DH (and that was not a money decision anyway). Also, I'd be willing to bet that the Sox are going to trade one of those starters and replace him with Sale, saving some number of millions.

QUOTE (Special K @ Oct 13, 2010 -> 09:40 AM) I don't understand why you think that was a trade down? I concede that it was a bad move in terms of money, because Hudson can be had on the cheap and probably would have been serviceable. That money could obviously be used to sign/resign players. But Jackson is a better pitcher. Hudson doesn't have the type of season he did in the second half with the D-Backs here in Chicago. He would have been pitching in a playoff race, in a harder ball park to pitch, and most importantly in the AL. Jackson is a fine pitcher who will hopefully get back to his all star form. You are right that my description was off. When I said "trade down", I mean overall, including the money picture. Jackson may or may not be better than Hudson, its hard to say, but for the change in money from 500k to 10M, Jackson needs to be a LOT better thand Hudson, and that seems unlikely to be the case. Can't know for sure though, we'll have to see over the next year or two.

Glad to see TEX win. I have a dislike for the Rays, mostly because of their fans. They are horrible supporting their team, and those cowbells irritated the s*** out of me in 2008. That said, either team, I want to have beat the Yankees. So, go Rangers!

QUOTE (sircaffey @ Oct 12, 2010 -> 11:41 PM) Kenny's obsession with having the best rotation in the history of baseball is killing this franchise. It's a sexy concept, but really just unnecessary. Solid starting pitching is the #1 reason for success in baseball, especially come post-season. I can't see how anyone sees that as a problem. I mean, the Hudson/Jackson trade was dumb, but not because pitching isn't important - it was dumb because it was a trade down at the same position.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Oct 13, 2010 -> 09:13 AM) You see, I have never said 'do nothing'. Ever. While I have championed more drilling, I have also said we need to come up with alternative fuel sources, and use the ones we have now such as nuclear power. I applaud the people trying to discover those alternate sources, but will hate it when they are forced upon everyone if they are not ready. When companies pollute, I want them punished, not a slap on the wrist. Likewise, I want the EPA to be reigned in in certain areas. Like one of their new proposals to classify DUST as a pollutant for farms. I recycle, and just started a recycling program at my new job for all of our waste paper. It is good that you are doing your part and not a total hypocrit like so many people are. But short terms costs do have to be considered otherwise we will all revert to third world status whether we want to or not. Nobody will be able to afford the $10 gas, or to pay for the food which will be super expensive due to increased farming costs, transportation costs, etc. As for the 'rest of the world already addressing this', yeah, well, they at least give it lip service. How many countries met thier Kyoto goals? And how come China and India are always exempt from these things? China burns more cola than the US, yet they are correcting the problem? I don't think so. I agree that you have to be careful how things are implemented, and when. Immediately internalizing externalities to the cost of gasoline, for example, would be economically catastrophic if done all at once. So you have to go at it from different angles, and do it over time. But to me, there is a win-win scenario available here. You can remove all tax breaks and incentives currently given to oil companies and their like, add in some other money, and make real investments (pretty big ones) in alternative energy sources. Instead of penalizing people for polluting, you make it cheaper and more reasonable for consumers to make the switch to alternatives over time. This has the benefit of creating new, growing businesses in cutting edge areas, which I think is huge for the US, but also allows the economy to make the shift in a healthy way. I disagree on the drilling though, I don't think we should be spending a single taxpayer dime on any new drilling, and I don't think we should be allowing licensure to any new fields for development. Because you can't make this work if you incentivize going backwards.

Eduardo Escobar played 2B, went 1-2.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Oct 12, 2010 -> 06:12 PM) Between the Teahen extension (he's an awful baseball player), going into the season with a deplorable DH combination and the Jackson/Hudson trade, I've lost all faith/confidence I once had in KW. So, a guy with a 10 year track record, who has made a lot more good deals than bad... and the Teahen extension and Jackson/Hudson trade have caused you to lose all faith? I mean, I agree those were both bad deals, but I also think you are missing the bigger picture in your evaluation. KW's biggest weakness, really, has been his inability to get the farm stronger. There has been some recent improvement in the drafts, but overall, the past 5 or more years, the Sox system has been terrible. And yet, the Sox are an above average organization in terms of success on the field. So its pretty damn obvious that Kenny must be doing better than the average GM (far better at aspects other than prospect development), since he's having to do this without a good farm system. Seems to me, its not time to jump ship on Kenny, at least not yet. Because the odds are very good that whomever you get to replace him will be worse. QUOTE (Real @ Oct 12, 2010 -> 11:14 PM) This isn't 2009, check your calender if you don't believe me. Then I'm confused, why did you say this was 2009 part 2?